An exploration of pizza in and around Rochester, NY, one pizzeria at a time

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Fat Boys Pizza, Phelps

On my way back from a weekend trip with my wife to Watkins Glen - and let me give a quick nod here to Echoes of the Glen B&B for a great stay - I stopped off for a slice of pizza from Fat Boys in Phelps.
I had intended all along to get pizza in Phelps, but not here. In fact, until I saw it, I wasn't even aware of Fat Boys' existence. I meant to stop at a place across the street, but it wasn't open. There's also a bar/restaurant down the road in Phelps that does wood-fired pizza, but I had neither the time nor the inclination to get a full meal just then.
But this turned out to be a good thing, because otherwise I wouldn't have learned of Fat Boys, which, based on this visit, makes some pretty good pizza.
I got just a single cheese slice (the only other choice was pepperoni), since it was late in the afternoon and I didn't want to ruin my appetite for dinner. I opted to get it reheated, which I've learned is generally a good idea.
The thin crust was pliable but somewhat crisp on the surface, with some crackling near the outer edge. There were no screen marks.There were some dark brown areas underneath, in a more or less tiger-stripe pattern. The slight caramelization gave the crust a boost of toasty, breadlike flavor and aroma. The reheating may have helped there.
The slice was a little heavy on the cheese, not that I'm complaining about that. There was, though, a "naked" cheeseless gap of an inch or two along the edge.
A bit of orange-colored oil had exuded from the cheese, which I allowed to drip off into the box. The cheese was lightly browned and a little congealed, with a texture that was more chewy than stringy.
The sauce had a fairly thick consistency, and a tomatoey flavor. It had been applied in good proportion to the rest of the slice, and overall the slice was well balanced. It was not heavily seasoned - the flavor profile was pretty much just crust, tomato sauce and cheese, without a lot of oregano, basil or other herbs noticeable.
Fat Boys offers 11 pizza toppings (including anchovies, which you don't often see), and 8 specialty pizzas. They also do subs, wings, calzones, platters, pasta, salads, and more.
I liked this slice, in general. My first concern is always the crust, and this had a pretty good crust. It was well balanced, and tasted good. On the downside, it was a little oily, for a plain cheese slice. I would've liked just a bit more crispness underneath. But it was an enjoyable slice of pizza. I'll decline to give it a grade, which I try to confine to the Rochester area, or at least the 585 area code, and Phelps is out there a ways. But I'd say that Fat Boys is worth a stop if you're in the area.

Fat Boys Pizza, 114 Main St., Phelps
(315) 548-8656

Other locations at 480 Hamilton St. in Geneva (315) 789-1999, and at 74 Fall St. in Seneca Falls (315) 568-8800

Ratings Guide

A: great; one of the best this area has to offerB: pretty good; not top-notch, but definitely good, and better than averageC: OK; nothing special, but it’ll do; typical for our areaD: edible; if you’ve already paid for it, you might as well eat itF: downright bad; toss it and get something else